‘Give way to Ambulance, Give way to Life’ campaign launched in Pakistan

ICRC launches public awareness campaign on how important it is to give way to ambulances

Can you imagine that you’re stuck in an ambulance waiting for the cars to move so that you can reach the hospital to save the life of someone you love? The ambulance blaring siren and flashing lights yet no one moves. This is what typically happens in Pakistan.

This is the reason that nationwide public awareness campaign “Pehlay Zindagi: Give Way to Ambulances — Give Way to Life” has been launched to inform people how important it is to respect and give way to ambulances.

International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) with the support of over 30 partner organizations has launched the nationwide Ambulance awareness campaign.

Punjab Emergency Service, Rescue 1122 KP and Punjab are the main partner organizations of ICRC, the campaign will continue across the country until December 2017.

ICRC campaign aims to draw public attention to an important health-care issue in Pakistan as part of the wider ICRC global Health Care in Danger project.

Chief Guest of the ceremony, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar along with other guests including Founder Director General Punjab Emergency Service, Rescue 1122, Dr. Rizwan and senior officers from concerned public and private organizations inaugurated the campaign.

“It is so painful every time we hear that someone could not survive for not being able to arrive at the hospital in time”, Saira Afzal Tarar noted. She lauded private and public organizations which have joined the ICRC to take this important public cause forward.

Speaking on the occasion, the DG Rescue 1122 briefed that Punjab Emergency Service alone is managing around 2000 emergencies daily in all districts of Punjab and the ICRC in collaboration with Emergency Service would definitely help in bringing about behavioral change amongst healthcare workers and the public.

PehlayZindagi is the second edition after Rasta Dein in 2016. The campaign received an overwhelmingly positive response from the media and the public. The campaign’s impact, measured through an observational study, stood at a promising 16%. This year too, the impact of the campaign on motorists’ behaviour towards ambulances will systematically be assessed before and after the campaign through observational studies.

Pehlay Zindagi will use television, radio and the social media to draw awareness in public and give way to ambulances by pledging their commitment to takes the pledge and spreads the message becomes a member of Friends for Life.

Sayyar Gul is doing his MS Computational Sciences & Engineering from National University of Science and Technology. He is technology enthusiast with keen interest in new technological developments from around the world.